Changes

Though Eric Avery and Adrian Belew were originally slated to be part of the touring lineup[1], both dropped out during rehearsals. Avery felt overwhelmed by the idea of going on tour after just having finished a major tour with Garbage, and also wanted to focus on some studio work.[2] Belew stated simply that "it didn't work."[3] Robin Finck was brought back to replace Belew, and Josh Eustis' duties were then expanded to include bass.

Stage Set-Up

This tour utilized several mobile LED screens behind the band, which would supply lighting and also background footage during certain portions of the set. The production and lighting were again designed by Rob Sheridan, Roy Bennett and Moment Factory, who also worked on the 2008 Lights In The Sky Tour and the How To Destroy Angels Live 2013 tour. The production also made use of Kinect for interactive video manipulation. The band members arrived onstage at the beginning of the set one member at a time and their silhouettes were projected onto the background, which are references to Talking Heads' 1984 concert film, Stop Making Sense.[4] The silhouettes are also reminiscent of those at the beginning of shows on Depeche Mode's Devotional tour.

Stage Set-Up

The production for this leg was very different from the festival dates and was again a collaboration by Rob Sheridan, Roy Bennett and Moment Factory. When this leg was originally announced, Reznor was quoted as saying that it "picks up where Lights in the Sky left off" and that it was "the full-on Nine Inch Nails live experience realized as we never could before." It featured heavy use of "stealth screens", like those from the aforementioned tour, which could be raised and lowered throughout the set and which presented elaborate visuals. A unique lighting element was also added in the form of a number of nine-paneled geometric lighting rigs suspended over the band.

Variation

The setlists for the Tension 2013 tour had more variation on a song-by-song basis than the Festival Tour and songs could be shuffled around a good bit between nights, so though certain songs are predictable, the order may not be.
Examples include:

For shows that could not bring in the full production, the trio of "Running," "A Warm Place," and "Somewhat Damaged" was typically replaced with "I'm Afraid Of Americans," followed by "Burn" or "Only."

Two shows, the Austin City Limits taping and the second Las Vegas show, featured a re-structured set, opening with "All Time Low" instead of "Copy Of A" and featuring other minor song order tweaks. The performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! was a five song 'mini-concert' and acted as a sort of sampler for the Tension tour and new album. For this reason, "All Time Low" and "Came Back Haunted" are the only two songs that were technically played at every show.

Oceania/Asia Tour

This tour took place during February and March 2014 and the Australia/New Zealand dates were a co-headlining tour with Queens Of The Stone Age. Which band played first was determined by a coin toss.[5] For the Japan shows, Alessandro Cortini performed an instrumental support set. Brody Dalle opened for the Australia and New Zealand shows.

Stage Set-Up

The setup for this leg was minimal and a departure from previous legs. No screens or projections were used, but it consisted instead of banks of various spotlights behind and above the band, as well as the overhead lighting panels that were used during the Tension tour.

Stage Set-Up

The setup for this leg was minimal and a departure from previous legs. No screens or projections were used, but it consisted instead of banks of various spotlights behind and above the band, as well as the overhead lighting panels that were used during the Tension tour.

Stage Set-Up

The setup for this leg was similar to the previous two legs in that it was minimal, but a single stealth screen was used, displaying lighting/video content behind and above the band depending on the song. The banks of various spotlights, as well as the overhead lighting panels that were used during the Tension tour also returned.